Arab and Muslim Comics Turn Fear Into Funny

By JODI WILGOREN

Published: September 1, 2002

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Aug. 29—
True story: A guy walks into a bar with a fez on his head. Orders a bottle of water, then ducks out to the parking lot, drops to his knees on a grassy median and prays to Mecca. A couple of hours later, he is on stage, killing, in the open-mike competition here at the Comedy Spot.

''Everywhere I go these days the F.B.I. follows me,'' begins Azhar M. Usman, a Muslim comedian. ''I am not a member of Al Qaeda, nor am I a member of the Taliban -- though I play one on TV.

''I am a Muslim, I am an American Muslim,'' he continues. ''American and Muslim at the same time. He prays and eats hamburgers!''

Mr. Usman, 26, a lawyer by day, is one of a number of Muslim and Arab-American comics who have sprung up on the stand-up scene in recent months, capitalizing on the public's increased awareness of their religion and culture since Sept. 11 -- and, perhaps, helping to ease tensions surrounding the nation's newest persecuted minorities. With self-deprecating jokes about terrorism, racial profiling, religious customs and international politics, the comedians turn fear into funny, following a long tradition of ethnic humor in America.

This week, Zanies, a well-known Chicago comedy club, canceled a Palestinian-American comic, Ray Hanania, who was scheduled to open for Jackie Mason, whose act is filled with Jewish shtick. The club said it had been inundated with complaints and wanted to avoid controversy. But in general, the new Arab and Muslim comedians have been greeted with laughter.

Of the 10 amateurs in the open-mike contest here tonight, Mr. Usman was one of two Muslims. The other, Khaleel Farooqi, pulled out a hand-drawn poster of Saddam Hussein. If none of his jokes work, he could just give the poster the boot, he said, kicking it away.

John Lowe, a professor of English at Louisiana State University who is working on a book about the Americanization of ethnic humor, said the emergence of the Arab and Muslim comic follows a clear pattern. Vaudeville allowed immigrants, especially Italians, to make fun of their own accents and awkward assimilation. African-American and Jewish comics, for generations, have responded to struggles with giggles.

''All oppressed people seize whatever weapons they can to fight oppression,'' Professor Lowe explained. ''The way that you show people that you're really a human being is in many cases to make people relax and laugh with you.''

Enter Azhar Usman, imitating a recent convert.

''Man, you sure it's called Is-lam?'' he says. ''I can't drink. I can't be with girls. I can't even have a ham sandwich. It should be called Is-hard.''

Mr. Usman, the son of Indian immigrants, grew up in the Chicago suburb of Skokie and started his comedy career at age 5, telling knock-knock jokes at his parents' dinner parties.

He first tried stand-up last year, but stopped after the terrorist attacks, and instead started speaking seriously to various groups about Islam. But, believing that humor is ''one of the most sophisticated forms of communication,'' Mr. Usman returned to comedy a few months later.

''If people can hear jokes about stuff that they always thought was this scary thing,'' Mr. Usman said, ''then I would say a comedian's job is done.''

Though Mr. Usman takes comfort in the fact that the prophet Muhammad was said to smile and laugh often, he does impose some restrictions on his comedy based on his faith. No lying, cursing or making fun of real people. Nothing sexual.

Tonight, after a comic who introduced himself as a ''chronic masturbator'' and another who described a ménage à trois in detail, Mr. Usman's G-rated act, in which he imitates a monkey and adopts an exaggerated Indian accent, was warmly received. Even before the audience votes were counted, showing that he had tied for first place, the club owner, John Morris, had asked Mr. Usman for a publicity photo, in hopes of booking him for a paying gig.

''Now it seems like people are feeling it's finally O.K. to laugh'' about the war on terror, said Mr. Morris, who has had half a dozen Muslim or Arab comedians at open mikes in recent months. ''To have somebody as ethnic, with the ethnic humor and the look -- from a marketing perspective, it's a great time for him.

''And he's funny, too.''

Photo: Azhar M. Usman, a Muslim stand-up comedian, at an open-mike competition last week at the Comedy Spot in Schaumburg, Ill. Mr. Usman tied for first place. (Peter Thompson for The New York Times)